Thompson Rivers University vice-president died of accidental overdose: family

Christopher Seguin, a vice-president at Thompson Rivers University, died of an accidental drug overdose in September, his family said in a statement released on Tuesday.

The Kamloops university had initially reported the 39-year-old husband and father of two had been admitted to hospital with a critical illness.

"This in no way diminishes Christopher as a loving husband and father as well as a cherished son, brother and friend to all who knew him," the family’s statement read. "Christopher’s passion and the boundless energy which he used to help improve the lives of others are the stories that deserve our focus."

Seguin, vice-president of advancement at TRU, was taken to hospital following an overdose in his hotel room in Victoria and died Sept. 22, according to the statement.

It did not say if illicit narcotic drugs were the cause.

B.C. is in the midst of an overdose crisis, mainly involving synthetic opioid fentanyl, which was present in 80 per cent of all fatal drug overdoses recorded from Jan. 1 to the end of July, according to the B.C. Coroners Service.

Fatal illicit-drug overdoses soared by 88 per cent last year to 978 in B.C. and it’s estimated the number will grow by at least another 50 per cent to around 1,500 by the end of 2017 based on monthly averages, provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said.

"It can affect people in all reaches of society and all professions," Kendall said.

Wally Oppal, the chancellor of TRU, said he often had breakfast with Seguin and that he and the staff at TRU were unaware of the cause of death until the family statement was emailed to media outlets.

"It really was a shock," Oppal said. "I just saw him at convocation in June. We talked a couple of times since then, he was planning a trip to Asia with his family.

"He was absolutely a superb person, well-loved by everyone. He had an effervescent personality, he always had a smile on his face.

"I can’t say enough good about Christopher."

The campus of 14,000 students is a focal point in Kamloops and Seguin was a focal point at the university, Oppal said.

"The students loved him because he was accessible."

The father of two boys under the age of five, Seguin grew up in Kamloops, where he was a golden boy in sports and the community, Oppal said.

"He was one of those people who just by knowing him left a mark on you," the chancellor said. "He’ll be greatly missed."

Oppal, a former Supreme Court of B.C. judge and provincial attorney general, said Seguin’s death is a reminder that no strata of society is immune to the dangers of drug overdose.

“It definitely transcends any one part of society," he said. "We should realize it can touch us all regardless of our background or stations in life.

“Christopher was one of those people who comes around once in a lifetime. It’s horribly tragic."

Seguin had worked at TRU for a decade. Before that, he worked at Simon Fraser University coordinating fundraising for the school’s athletics department.

"I love my family, my career and my community," he wrote on his LinkedIn profile. "It is an honour and a pleasure to do what I do, and to build a better TRU and Kamloops."

Seguin was awarded a B.C. community achievement award in 2015 for his public service.

An open celebration of life will be held for Seguin on Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at Calvary Community Church in Kamloops.

A trust fund has been set up for his two young sons at CIBC branches in Kamloops.